Whenever a law enforcement officer stops a motor vehicle for a traffic violation, there is a possibility that the occupants of the stopped vehicle will decide to flee the scene unlawfully. If the law enforcement officer is incapacitated or killed by the occupants of the stopped vehicle before they flee, later identification of the stopped vehicle may be difficult or even impossible.
Prior devices for identifying motor vehicles have included signals or flags as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,320,920 to Lusebrink; 4,080,924 to LeClaire; and 4,624,211 to Jokel. While these devices work satisfactorily in certain situations such as identifying a vehicle in a large parking lot, they are not suitable for use in law enforcement because they may be easily removed from the vehicle.
Other devices have existed for immobilizing or disabling motor vehicles. These devices include wheel clamps such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,723,426 to Beaudoin; 4,833,442 to Von Heck; and 4,913,265 to Richards. Although these devices are acceptable in some situations they are difficult to install quickly.